1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for removing unwanted air from a location, and more particularly, to an apparatus for pulling unwanted air out from a wide area, such as a room.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ventilation apparatuses, which pull unwanted air away from locations are well known in the art. For example, the following U.S. patents disclose ventilation apparatuses: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,726,202 of Ahlberg; 4,732,591 of Tujisawa et al; 4,903,894 of Pellinen et al; 4,975,251 of Saceman; and 5,031,515 of Niemela et al. The prior art devices disclosed in the above-mentioned patents share a common characteristic which is that air is removed by a conduit that has two open ends and a closed tubular body therebetween. In this respect, air is drawn from one open end, an input end, passed through the closed tubular body, and passes out the other open end, an output end.
With such prior art devices, only the unwanted air present in the general vicinity of the open input end is drawn into the closed tubular conduit. In order for other unwanted air to be removed from a wide area, such as a room, to be removed from the wide area, the unwanted air must circulate to the open input end of the prior art devices. In this respect, it would be desirable if an apparatus were provided which removed unwanted air from a wide area without the need for the unwanted air to circulate to a single open input end of a ventilation system.
One form of unwanted air that is common in restaurants, lounges, nightclubs, bars, and the like is smoke-laden air. Because of the risks of cigarette smoke to both smokers and nonsmokers alike, it would be desirable if ventilation systems in such establishments provided adequate smoke removal. Yet, many such establishments do not have adequate ventilation systems to purge rooms of unwanted smoke. Moreover, it would be very costly if such establishments had to replace their ventilation systems with newer systems that had greater smoke removal capacities. In this respect, it would be desire if public establishments could be easily and inexpensively retrofitted to provide adequate smoke removal.
Ventilation systems that are already in place in an establishment include hidden duct work installed in walls and ceilings. To replace or modify such hidden duct work would require much time and labor. In this respect, it would be desirable to retrofit an establishment to remove unwanted smoke-laden air without the need to replace or modify hidden duct work that is associated with the in-place ventilation system.
Installation of duct work that is in-place in an establishment often requires the fabrication of customized ducts, bends, and couplings. Making and installing such customized components require much time and labor and contribute to the relative high costs of making and installing a ventilation system. In this respect, for retrofitting an establishment to provide a ventilation system to remove unwanted, smoke-laden or other odor-bearing air, it would be desirable if the retrofitted system employed relatively low cost off-the-shelf ducts, couplings, and bends.
Smoke, by its very nature, being associated with heated air, rises in a room. Thus, a retrofitted smoke-removal apparatus can be installed near a ceiling of a room. Installation of a retrofitted smoke removal apparatus near a ceiling would suggest that the retrofitted system be suspended from the ceiling. However, if components of a retrofitted smoke removal apparatus are to be suspended from a ceiling, they should be light weight.
Air in a room may have been treated in some way before it entered the room. For example, the air may have been heated, cooled, humidified, or dehumidified depending upon temperature and humidity outdoors. In this respect, it would be desirable to be able to remove smoke and other odor-bearing substances from the room air and return smoke-free air to the room.
The smoke that enters a room enters from cigarettes that are held by a smoker and from cigarettes that are placed in ash trays. In this respect, it would be desirable if a smoke-removal apparatus included devices adapted to remove smoke directly from ash trays.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use hidden, expensive ventilation systems to remove air from rooms, the provision of a more simple and cost effective device is not contemplated. Nor does the prior art described above teach or suggest removal of unwanted air from a wide area without the need for the unwanted air to circulate to a single open input end of a ventilation system. Also, the prior art does not provide for easy and inexpensive retrofitting of public establishments to provide for adequate removal of smoke and other odor-bearing substances. The prior art does not provide retrofitting of an establishment to remove unwanted smoke-laden air without the need to replace or modify hidden duct work that is associated with the in-place ventilation system. In addition, the prior art does not provide a retrofitting system that employs relatively low cost off-the-shelf ducts, couplings, and bends. Also, the prior art does not provide components of a retrofitted smoke removal apparatus that are to be suspended from a ceiling, and that are light weight.
The foregoing disadvantages are overcome by the unique wide area air removal apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.